Adventures of Psychics in the Trip Zone
by KitkatTenshi
Summary: Weird animals have been appearing around the world. But what happens when countries start collecting psychics and leave their training to the Yank and a small island country? Nothing good. Rated T for language.
1. Dark Tunnels to New Beginnings

Hey there!

I own nothing- Except for Fae and Sibyl (who appears in a later chapters). But if I owned Hetalia... -evil smirk-

Anyways. This is a story for purplechalkwitch! ^^ Thanks so much for letting me write this, I've had a lot of fun with it thus far. Her characters are Andy (our main character) and her friends, an albino named Chloe and a ridiculous spaz named Tina.

Read and enjoy! Please give me your thoughts and constructive criticisms! :D

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Andy stared at the floor of the truck, barely listening to the breathing of the others as she felt the truck bounce along. Her gaze stayed fixed on the ground, a swirl of questions bubbling into her head. Why was she here? Where was she being taken? Did someone find out about her abnormal… whatever it was?

She tilted her head back slightly, wincing as the truck hit a large bump, causing the girls on her either side of her to smash into her small body. The girl on her left was blonde, sniffing slightly as she wiped tears from her eyes, causing her chains to rattle slightly. The other girl was bulky with red hair, her face slightly swollen and purpling from where she had been hit. Andy closed her eyes, thinking back on earlier.

It had started as a normal weekend, with Andy waking up just in time to catch the 6 am news before going out for a jog. Her parents had already fled off to their jobs long before, leaving Andy to lock up the house before leaving. As she had been jogging, she had thought about the chaos gripping the United States. Strange animals were appearing everywhere, attacking families before slinking back into nothingness, killing without mercy. It didn't help that people had been disappearing with no sign of a struggle or even a ransom note, never to be heard from again.

She had continued her jog to the old abandoned asylum, carefully slipping through the fence. Andy had always been drawn to the asylum, she could run, jump, do whatever she wanted without scrutiny from anyone. She loved the feel of the places, and sometimes would just hang out in the hallways, loving the quiet.

Andy was halfway done with her workout when she finally noticed a disturbance. It was a voice, humming softly. She paused, curious why anyone else was in the forgotten building.

"Listen Chrystal, is this just another fake trail, or do you really have one?" A gruff voice asked, the annoyance evident in his voice.

The humming stopped, followed by a small huff. "Well, excuse me. I'll just leave you to find the targets by yourself Hans."

Andy paled as the voices grew closer, and she glanced around, looking for a place to hide. She was in what looked like the old lunchroom, tables overturned and cast aside in no real order. She dove behind a table, praying silently that whoever was there wasn't looking for her.

A brunette waltzed into the room, her feet seeming to dance with every step. Behind her walked a much larger man, his fire red hair mused as he ran a hand through it, disgruntled. "Look, I know it's hard, but we've been looking for weeks, and we don't have an idea if it's a girl or a boy."

The brunette named Chrystal cast her eyes around the room, the frown reaching her strangely orange eyes. "It's a girl." She inhaled slightly, a smirk flitting across her lips. "And she's here."

Andy jumped from where she was hiding, sprinting to the window. She could hear the man named Hans barreling after her, and, desperate, she jumped from the window. Hans caught the back of her sweatshirt easily, but she slid out of it easily, glad she wore such large grey sweatshirts as she plummeted to earth.

The cafeteria was easily 5 stories up, a factor Andy hadn't thought of, but as she screamed, she felt a familiar tingle in her hands. Instantly, she reacted, clawing against the old brick wall, feeling the blue light coming from her hands forming claws. She slid down the wall before she reached the bottom. Andy winced slightly at the blue light slinking back into her skin as she broke off at a full run, feeling the tingle in her knees and legs, aiding her flight mode as she tore from the asylum.

She hadn't even made it off the premises when a red light shot from somewhere on her left, catching her around the ankle. Andy screamed as the red light started dragging her back to the building, and she wished for someone to walk by and notice the kidnapping and call for help. Her fingers turned back into blades, and she slashed at the rope to no avail, still trying to escape. Chrystal walked over, gently placing a hand on Andy's head, and Andy had slashed out, desperate. Chrystal had merely smiled, evading the blades. _'Sleep' _She had whispered, and Andy had felt the energy drain from her body instantly, and she fell backwards as everything went black.

When she had awoken, she was strapped into the back of the truck, her wrists shackled and one of her ankles connected to a chain that connected all the girls in the back of the truck in some sort of a chain gang. No one spoke, and sometimes people would catch each other's eyes, all silently wondering the same thing. 'Where are we going?'

It had seemed like hours that they had been sitting in the back of the crowded truck, and Andy silently wondered what Kaylin was doing. She would notice when Andy didn't come to visit her today, but would anyone else miss her? She rarely saw her parents; they were busy with their lives. When would they grow worried?

There was a jerk that startled everyone from their daydreams, and the truck came to a stop. There was a bright flash of light as the back door opened, and Andy winced slightly as the light from a setting sun blinded her. She had little time to recuperate, as the man who opened it tugged on the chain, saying, "Come on then."

Most of the kids stood up, the smaller ones eager to clamber out of the truck, the older ones looking fearfully at the door, not wanting to know what was outside. Andy stood solemnly, as did the girl on the right, but the blonde who had been crying screamed slightly. "No! I'm not leaving! I just wanna go home!" She bawled, new tears coursing down her face.

The man winced noticeably, and another face peered in. "Do we have a problem?" He asked, his grey eyes cold as he looked in.

The blonde continued her crying, shaking her head, and the grey eyed man sighed. "Unhook her and take her to the grounds. If she doesn't shut up then, just shoot her."

Everyone fell silent, eyes wide with fear, and the blonde continued to sob, hiccupping slightly. Andy gently pulled her to her feet. "Live to see a better day." She hissed, and the blonde took a rattling breath, tears still streaming down her face.

The man frowned. "Pity. I was looking forward to resistance…" He muttered, watching as the kids filed out of the truck slowly. "Take them to get scanned."

The other man nodded, grabbing a length of chain to direct the group to a tall building. The group followed along slowly, trying to get accustomed to the chain around their ankles, but Andy couldn't help but shudder, her eyes fixed on the building. It was tall, built out of what appeared to be grey concrete, a large wall surrounding the entire thing, covered in barbed wire. It looked like a prison, and Andy shivered at the thought of what was inside.

The scan was a long and tedious process. The scan itself was brief, but afterwards the kids were unshackled and led to another room, where they paced, anxiously waiting for their names to be called before being led down another hallway set of hallways, groups being taken away at a time. The blonde girl sobbed when they called her name, and Andy was secretly glad to see her taken away. It made the room immensely quieter, other than the occasional person trying to be social and talk to someone, only to be silenced by a loudspeaker. She sat in a corner, nervously sharpening her nails. She didn't want to be called; she would rather just stay in the corner. She wanted someone to come in, call her name, and then apologize for the inconvenience- she was free to go.

"Andrea Pagan?" A voice called, and Andy winced at the use of her full name as she stood up. She walked up to the motherly looking woman dressed in white, who beckoned her through a door. The motherly nurse led her down the hall, glancing back. "How are you today?"

Andy gave her an incredulous look, and the nurse smiled. "I know it must be awful, but bear with it. It only gets better from here." She checked her clipboard. "Or maybe not…" She muttered, her smile turning into a frown.

Andy gulped, immensely worried as the woman came up to a door. Andy glanced at the number, wincing at the number 666. The nurse clicked a few buttons, the opened the door. "Welcome to Hell dear."

Andy walked into the room, slightly flinching at the sound the door shutting behind her. For hell, it didn't look like it. The room itself was plain, white walls and white linoleum, but it had furniture arranged cleverly in one half of it. As Andy took it in, she felt like Two-Face had decorated the room, one half a nicely decorated living room, the other half a gym of sorts. Halfway between the two was a large tube that came out of the ground and reached to the ceiling. It vaguely reminded Andy of the tubes at her local bank that took her mother's checks, but she pushed the thought away.

"Andrea Pagan."

The voice startled Andy, and she jumped a foot. "Go to your quarters." The voice said, and Andy stared open mouthed at part of the wall on the other side of the room. It seemed to rise up, opening into a small corridor. Andy walked through it, watching it as it closed behind her.

The corridor was dark and short, with a few lights running down the length of it. The entire hallway had 8 doors, 4 on each side. They all had names on them, and she read them all as she walked down the hall. Nikki. Tina. Corinne. Melody. Eliza. Chloe. Fae.

Andy dragged her feet to the last door, the only one that was minus a name, and she opened the door quietly. It was empty, other than a made-up bed pushed up against a corner. It was cold and damp, but Andy sighed, shutting the door and collapsed readily onto the bed.

The tears she had fought to keep inside all day sprung to her eyes, and she sniffed softly, letting them roll out. She thought of her parents and Kaylin. Someone must have noticed by now that she was missing. Would she ever see them again?

Andy sighed, burying her face into her pillow, and let sleep wash over her like a blanket, eager to fade into a dreamland where she wasn't kidnapped and held against her will.


	2. Welcome to Hell

Chapter 2

A loud crash woke Andy the next morning, and she started from her bed, bleary eyed and sleepy. It was like thunder rumbling through the hall, and she cautiously went to her door, curiosity flooding through her. The large sliding door at the end was open, and she dragged herself to it slowly.

Andy peered around the doorway, quietly trying to see what was going on. There were 6 girls milling about the room, two girls talking with one another on the couch, a brunette body builder lifting weights on the other side of the room while a blonde watched her interestedly, and what appeared to be her twin painting her nails with an air of boredom. A startling red headed girl laid on the ground, twisting her hair thoughtfully as she read a book.

Andy's eyes fell on a girl who was hanging upside down on some pull-up bars, who was apparently reading a book that's title was in Cyrillic. She silently wondered how anyone could read in that position, let alone Cyrillic, as she entered the room, sticking to the wall.

The second she entered, all activity stopped, and 6 pairs of eyes fixed on Andy. Andy shuffled awkwardly, blushing slightly out of embarrassment as she realized she had never gotten her sweatshirt back from the hunters.

One of the girls on the couch, a blonde with dark green eyes, hopped easily over the barrier, sashaying over to Andy. She was dressed in all green, a lime green tank top, matched with a green skirt, and on top of dark green leggings, and as she got closer, Andy noticed she was a couple inches shorter than her, but was slightly chunkier than her, with a definitely much larger bust.

She stuck out her hand. "I'm Tina. Welcome to Hell!" She said cheerily, smiling brightly.

Andy looked down at the hand, then carefully took it. Tina grinned, shaking it so hard Andy thought for a minute she was going to rip it off. She waved around the room. "That's Chloe on the couch over there." She pointed to a VERY albino girl with pitch black hair, who waved, a slight smile on her lips.

"Charmed." Chloe seemed to purr, her red eyes staring at Andy with a vague form of interest.

Tina continued. "Nikki and Melody are the twins over there, and that's Eliza, who's too busy to do anything else but lift weights. And Corinne is the bookworm over there." Tina said, matter-of-factly, getting the introductions out of the way. "What's your name?"

Andy shuffled awkwardly. "Andy." She murmured slightly, and Tina's mouth seemed to grow even wider.

"Andy! What a pretty name!" She gushed, grabbing Andy's hand and dragging her over to the couch.

By now, Andy let out a sigh of relief as everyone went back to their previous engagements, and she sat down on the couch with Chloe and Tina, still feeling slightly uncomfortable, her arms hugging her lower torso tightly.

Chloe noticed, silently pulling off her large sweater. "Here." She said softly, offering it to Andy.

Andy looked at her, confused for a minute before she pulled it on. "Thanks…" She whispered softly, snuggling slightly into the sweater.

Chloe's smile grew slightly. "Welcome. Looks like you needed it more than me."

Tina nudged Andy. "So when did you get in last night? Cuz I was so excited when I heard we might be meeting someone new!" She exclaimed, eyes bright. "Though, I guess this means we meet our trainer now."

Andy raised an eyebrow, and Chloe shook her head. "Expect Tina to get ahead of herself." She muttered, before leaning back into the couch. "When Tina means trainer, she means a coach. Someone explained it to you already, right?"

Andy shook her head, and Chloe sighed. "Guess things have changed from when I was brought in."

Tina nodded in agreement. "I still remember. I was the second person to get assigned here, other than that Fae girl." She inclined her head towards the girl still hanging upside down. "That's Fae. She doesn't speak at all, and she's been here the longest. As far as we known, she hasn't spoken to anyone in weeks, she just hangs there, reading the same book."

Chloe snorted. "Or pretending to. I've never seen her flip the pages, even once."

"Maybe she's memorizing it."

"Doubt it. Her eyes don't move either." Chloe shook her head. "But anyway, about why you're here. You have an… interesting ability, don't you?"

Andy stiffened, shifting uncomfortably, and Chloe shook her head, a smile still on her lips. "You misunderstood me. There's no need to hide it, we all have one." She said. She turned to the edge of the couch, making a box with her hands, using her pointer fingers and thumbs.

Andy couldn't help but gasp slightly as a block appeared, blue in color, and Chloe set her feet on it. "I personally can create walls and platforms. I've been trying to figure out creating moving platforms lately, but that has gone nowhere fast."

Tina nodded. "Nikki and Melody have to touch each other, but they can build all sorts of cool gadgets and things. They tried to build a bomb to escape once, but all that did was cause the walls to rattle for a bit." She pointed to the brunette. "Eliza has some weird ability that allows her to control the weight of objects. She once made Melody's nail polish weigh 600 pounds. It was really funny." She chuckled, remembering some weird memory.

Chloe took over. "Corinne has the ability to absorb all knowledge through touch. She can read minds in a way, but she can't control it too well, so she mostly keeps to herself." She looked at Andy expectantly. "What about you?"

Andy sighed, lifting up her hand. It took a second, but her psychic energy swirled at her hands, allowing her claws to form. Tina gasped in wonder. "That's so cool…" She whispered, a look of awe on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, Andy caught Fae glancing over the top of her book, watching interestedly.

Instantly, Andy stopped the energy. "What about you?" She asked softly, looking at Tina.

Tina pulled a tight face, and Chloe sighed as she let her box disappear. "Tina doesn't like it too much. She doesn't like fighting in the first place, which is what her powers are best at." Chloe sighed. "The real issue here is why we're all here. No one really knows, other than it has something to do with our abilities."

"I can tell you that."

Everyone froze in the room. Even Corinne glanced up, her glasses falling to the edge of her nose, and 7 pairs of eyes fixed on the upside-down girl who was still reading.

Only she wasn't reading. She was looking straight at Chloe. "Good catch, noticing I'm not really reading." She said, winking slightly.

Chloe stared, open mouthed, but Tina seemed to bristle. "What do you mean, you know?" She growled, eyebrows furrowing together. "You don't speak for weeks, but when you do, you have all the answers?"

Fae chuckled, a look of amusement on her face. "Mortals." She muttered, shaking her head as she reached up to grab the bar.

It took the space of a few seconds, but Andy watched, awed, as she spun easily off the pull-up bar, landing gracefully on her feet, stretching slightly. She wasn't very tall, her dirty-blonde hair mused slightly, a pair of bright teal eyes flashing with humor. Fae reached down, cracking her back as she did so, a smile on her lips. "All in good time Tina. If you all join me on the couch…" She gestured lazily to the living room side, walking slowly across the room to the tube.

She smacked it hard, and immediately the tube responded, giving her an odd assortment of food. She picked it up, immediately munching on a pack of Red Vines. When she turned around and saw no one had moved, she sighed. "Come on then."

As she passed by the couch, Andy felt her nose scrunch slightly. Fae reeked of a number of things, an odd mixture of cigarettes, alcohol, turpentine, and a hint of vanilla. Fae caught the look on her face, and she smirked. "Sorry. The smell clings after a certain point." She said, leaning casually against a wall, still munching on the Red Vines.

The other girls walked over, all still in shock that Fae had finally talked, sitting on the other empty couch, their eyes fixed on the casual blonde. When they were all situated, Fae nodded. "Goed." She said, setting the tray down on the ground as she slid down the wall. "As a favor to all of you, I'll keep it short and simple." She began, twirling a Red Vine lazily in her fingers.

"You all received your powers shortly after puberty, I imagine. Or sometime after that, and even in rare cases, almost since birth. It popped up in odd places throughout your life, and you discovered it through different means." Fae mused, a distant look in her eyes slightly. "Most people ignore it, and don't put too much thought into it. They live their lives under the influence that they're normal, only to have it reemerge when they need it most. Like that scrawny guy who lifted a car a few years back."

Chloe nodded solemnly. "I thought that was adrenaline…"

Fae shook her head. "Nope. Merely untapped potential."

Eliza frowned. "But why are we here?"

Fae opened up a can of Mountain Dew, taking a swig, wincing. "Damn… Thought Al was gonna be nice there for a minute." She muttered, glaring at the can. "Anyway, you've all heard of the recent attacks from strange animals that have been appearing randomly across the globe, yes?"

At the nod from all involved, Fae grinned. "Excellent! Dit maakt mijn leven zo veel gemakkelijker. Ik maakte me zorgen dat jullie allemaal zou zijn idioten ."

From other couch, Melody groaned. "You're kidding right? This is fucking America. We speak English here."

Fae frowned for the first time. "Ik zie in ieder geval een van jullie. Als alleen Francis en Arthur waren hier ... Deze domme Yankees. "

Nikki frowned. "I may not speak that language, but that sounded like an insult."

Fae nodded. "It was."

Chloe frowned. "You have not tact, do you?"

Fae grinned. "None what so ever!"

Melody smirked. "I expected nothing less from a immigrant bitch."

Fae snorted. "Hey, I didn't start speaking to have you bash on my culture. Besides, I like my whiskey. And I just happen to be multilingual." She coughed. "But that matters not. Now, where was I?"

Corinne spoke from her spot on the floor. "The creatures?"

Fae brightened. "Yes! Exactly." She opened a bag, gagging suddenly. "Alfred! You bitch!" She cursed, throwing the McDonalds bag at the couch. "I'm on loan, not something you can break with filth!"

Eliza opened the bag, munching down on the hamburger in there as Nikki swiped the fries. Chloe sighed, and Andy felt an eye twitch start to develop. "Can you please, just continue?"

Fae nodded, inspecting her tray for something else, then sighed. "These creatures, as you call them, have a more, pronounced name. In my normal language, we call them _woeste beesten_, but you would call them Trip Monsters."

Tina had commandeered the soda out of the bag, and was sucking it down. "Trip Monsters?"

Fae nodded. "As far as scientists are able to tell, they are beasts from a parallel world, known as the Trip Zone, as America named it. They somehow discovered cracks in the universe, and developed the ability to cross from their world to ours. This has been going on for, oh, about 50 years I guess. Most of them are small, so they slide through the cracks easily. These are about the size of a large dog, and tend to be easily 'herded' back to where they came from. However, lately, the larger one are squeezing through, which makes life more difficult."

Eliza tilted her head slightly. "How so?"

Fae sighed. "The portals to the Trip Zone are… unstable, to say the least. The longest one that we know of managed to stay open about 2 days, but they generally tend to collapse after 36 hours or so. This is where your answers lie."

Fae stood up, pacing slowly, almost deliberatively. "Some psychics, they have another ability, along with their own… powers. By taking their pointer fingers, and channeling energy through it, they can create doors… Doors to the other world, the Trip Zone."

Eliza's eyes lit up. "They could escape? If they wanted?"

Fae raised an eyebrow. "From here? No. They need to find a rip between the dimensions and open it, and this base was designed so there are no 'rips' so that psychics can't escape… and other things can't get in."

Tina's green eyes widened. "W-Why would anything want to get in?" She stuttered, worry flashing across her face.

Fae snorted. "Trip Monsters sense psychics. They seek them out, kill them, absorb their powers. It's practically ingrained in their puny minds."

Andy watched silently, eyes flitting from face to face, all eyes fixed on the pacing blonde except Chloe, who was watching Fae with the look of someone trying to understand something, but not really getting there. She ignored Fae's ramblings as she spoke about the Trip Zones and Monsters, staring slightly at her hands. An ability to open doors in the fabric of the space-time continuum and what not. It sounded interesting, to say the least.

Chloe's words broke through Andy's reverie. "How do you know all of this?"

Fae pulled to a stop, halfway through her speech. "What?"

Chloe was looking at her curiously. "You know a lot, for just another person stuck in Hell, you seem to be very well-informed about our situation…"

Fae opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. "Well, aren't we the brains of the bunch." She mused softly, smiling softly. "I must have forgotten to introduce myself properly, didn't I?" She paused, then nodded. "Yes, yes I did."

"Are you retarded?" Melody asked, a look of disdain on her face.

Fae scowled. "Fuck off. I just happen to speak like this." She snorted, reinspecting her food tray for more food, finally picking up a grey container. "Well, the answer to Chloe's question is simple. I'm not a psychic. But, I do play an important part in your lives at this point." She suddenly looked at the grey container, a look flashing across her face, and she set the box down like it might explode at any second. "I'm your trainer. I'm supposed to help… refine any edges that need to be smoothed out, and when that's done, you'll all be assigned to specific groups where you work with other psychics to help locate, build, ect, ect."

The girls stared at the small blonde, each to their own thoughts. Finally, Nikki spoke out angrily. "What. The. Hell? We're gonna be separated? Why the hell didn't you just train us, and then move on with life, and get us out of here ASAP? I mean, it's CALLED HELL. How much worse can it get?"

Fae shrugged. "It could've been worse. I mean, a guy I knew almost got this job, which is why I called it Hell. Because that's what it would've been. If Ivan was here." She shuddered. "But, Al decided he didn't torture me enough a couple weeks ago, so… Here I am." She clapped her hands together. "So, if there are any other questions?"

"Why are you twitching?" Corinne asked, looking pointedly at Fae's foot, which was twitching rapidly.

Eliza nodded. "I noticed you hand twitching earlier. Do you have Parkinsons or some shit?"

Fae grimaced. "No, I don't. It just means that I'm need something that Alfred said I couldn't have. Something about liver or lung failure. Such bull shit." She stood up. "If that's it, then we'll start then!" She said brightly, smacking the wall.

Andy watched as a panel popped out of the wall, and Fae hurriedly typed on the keyboard that came out. The room rattled slightly, and a hole appeared in the ground. "Follow me guys." Fae said, running and taking a flying leap into the hole.

The girls watched, and, one by one, they followed after her. Andy paused at the hole, unsure, and Tina propelled into her, dragging Chloe behind. With a scream, they all tumbled into the hole, rolling down the tube. They seemed to roll for forever, finally rolling out into a large, outdoor arena. It was massive, that was certain, and Andy smiled slightly up at the large, blue sky overhead as she straightened up. When the 7 girls finally tumbled out of the tube, they looked around, trying to locate Fae.

"Up here." A voice called, and 14 eyes looked upwards. Fae was sitting on top of a large pole, almost 5 feet in diameter, and almost 50 feet in the air. She waved. "I got some challenges for you at the bottom in that envelope. Good luck!"

Tina reached the envelope first, and she ripped it open without any hesitation. She stared at the pieces of paper inside, a frown on her face. "There's 3 challenges. Corinne and Melody are supposed to find and build a gadget over there, while Nikki and Eliza try to work together and figure out how to destroy the tank over there…" She said, pointing to each area.

Nikki and Melody grabbed each other's hands. "But…. But we can't!" Melody said shrilly, her grip tightening.

"You better!" Fae called from above, glaring down. "Otherwise, you'll all stay out here until you figure out a way to do it, and no food."

"That's awful!" Nikki called, a look of horror on her face.

"Hunger is an excellent motivator." Fae replied, pulling something out of her pocket.

As the other 4 girls moved off to attempt their tasks, Chloe turned back to Tina. "And our job?"

Tina looked upwards. "Knock Fae off the top of that."

They all looked up, watching a very content Fae on the top of the pole look down and wave, a cigarette on her lips as she watched them.

Chloe sighed. "Tina, do you think-"

Wordlessly, Tina reached behind her. "You said any measures necessary, right?"

At Fae's nod, Tina pulled out something Andy hadn't noticed before- a red and white megaphone, just like Andy's gym teachers used to use to scream at kids not running on the track.

"BACK DOWN NOW!" She yelled, and even from the distance they were at, Andy could see one of Fae's eyebrows raise.

When Fae refused to move, Chloe sighed. "Look, I didn't mean that."

Tina frowned. "But I…"

Chloe put a hand on her shoulder. "Aim for her, but if Fae has sense, she'll dodge it."

Tina nodded, closing her eyes. When she opened them, Andy started. They were exactly the same blue as Andy's claws, and she watched Tina breathe evenly and softly, forming an object in her hands.

It was a bow, and as Andy watched, she drew her arm back, a blue arrow forming. She released it, and it sped upwards towards Fae, who remained unperturbed by the arrow whizzing at her.

Tina gasped, her eyes wide, and she covered them with her hands, and Chloe gasped in horror as it got closer and closer to Fae's head. Andy watched in horrid fascination, unable to do anything.

The second Chloe looked away, Fae moved. If Andy had blinked, she would've missed it. Fae was like chain lightning, her body barely moving as her arm came up, catching the arrow. She looked at it for a second, then stabbed it into the ground, where it disappeared.

Tina whimpered. "Is it over? Is there… blood?"

Andy shook her head. "No… She caught the fucking arrow…"

Chloe and Tina looked up, both in shock at seeing Fae alive. "Long range attacks won't work on her then…"Chloe finally muttered, and Tina let out a sigh of relief.

Andy frowned. "Can you build a staircase out of your blocks Chloe?" She asked, looking up the pole.

Chloe shook her head. "No, I can only manage one at a time."

Andy grimaced. "Then I'll try…" She pushed her energy into her hands and feet, and walked to the pole. She jumped into the air, her powers allowing her to propel herself much farther than any normal human, her claws digging into the wood pole as she climbed upwards eagerly. She just wanted to get this done, but no, things didn't work out right.

She reached the top easily, and instantly she slashed at Fae, who dodged it easily. Andy grimaced, trying to claw at Fae as she stood still, a look of boredom on her face as she leaned, avoiding the random slashes. "You're not going to get me off this easily." She sighed, rolling her eyes, as she punched Andy in her stomach hard.

Andy gasped for air, in shock from the hit, and Fae smirked. "You're going to have to come at me serious, with a killing intent, to get me off this pole." She said, and with a hard kick to Andy's stomach, sending her backwards.

Andy yelled out as she fell backwards, and flailed, trying to get a hold of the pole that was shooting past her. She heard Tina scream, and she felt her back smash into a hard object. She groaned, rolling over slightly. She felt an odd energy under her, and she opened her eyes.

Chloe waved from several feet under Andy, giving her a thumbs up, and Andy jumped down, landing softly on the ground beside them. Andy smiled slightly. "Thanks for-"

Instantly, both girls slammed into Andy, who stiffened. Tina started sobbing about Andy dying, and Chloe started looking Andy over. "Are you ok? Any pain anywhere?"

Andy awkwardly patted Tina's head, completely unsure what to do. "Um… No… I'm fine…"

Chloe still inspected her like a worried mother hen on a chick, and Andy thought about what Fae had said. She looked to the other side of the area, watching the other girls.

They were all disjointed- trying to do their own thing, but none of the jobs getting done. Melody and Corinne were trying to piece together two different pieces of the same machine, neither having any idea what the other was doing. Eliza and Nikki were bickering, fighting about the best way to demolish the tank so it was in pieces.

Andy frowned. There was something up with these challenges, something she couldn't put her finger on, but she sighed, pushing Tina off gently. "Let's try this again."

It was tiring, to say the least, Fae barely moving from her one spot on the top of the pole, knocking down Andy easily over and over, again and again. Finally, after another round of being knocked down, Andy lay on the ground heaving as Tina fired arrows up at Fae, only to have the other girl dodge them effortlessly.

Chloe sat down, looking as equally tired as Andy. Building walls and platforms for Andy to fall on was hard on her, and she sighed, glancing over at the other groups. "They don't seem to be doing too well either…"

Andy nodded, and Chloe glanced at her. "Is there something Fae said while you were fighting her, like how to beat her?"

Andy shook her head. "She said we had to attack with a 'killing intent'." She muttered darkly, wincing as one of her ribs twinged from where Fae had struck a particularly hard blow.

Chloe frowned. "That doesn't help much." She sighed.

Andy sat up, looking over at the other girls. "Look, call me nuts, but I think that all these challenges are for one reason."

When Chloe looked at her questioningly, Andy shook her head. "It seems ridiculous, but what if… what if Fae's challenges were to get us all to work together? We've been attempting to attack Fae separately, but if while I'm fighting her, Tina aims at Fae at the same time? We might get her to lose her footing, and it'll be tons easier to knock her down."

Chloe pondered it for a minute. "Makes sense. How did you get that idea?"

Andy simply pointed to the other girls, and Chloe nodded understandingly. "Melody and Corinne haven't made much progress, have they?"

"Fifth time they had to start over. Nikki and Eliza are still arguing, but they're attempts to destroy the tank are futile."

Chloe nodded. "That tank is built out of some impenetrable material, isn't it?"

Andy nodded, and Chloe picked up a rock next to her. "But for now, let's outline our plan."

Fae watched as Tina grew tired of trying to snipe her and walked over to the other two, who were crouched around a patch of dirt. She blew a smoke ring, wondering slightly what they were doing, and hoping it would get her off this stupid pole soon. She pulled out a knife from one of her boots, digging it into the wood in front of her, carving the likeness of a man she despised. When Ivan Braginsky was finally looking back at her, she snorted, slamming the knife to the hilt in between his eyes. She chuckled darkly. "Stupid Vanya." She muttered, taking another drag from her cig. He had probably was the one who got the idea for more torture for Fae and fed it to Alfred.

She was going to have to talk to Sibyl about that man.

Stupid Alfred for thinking there was a need for more slow and painful torture. Like living with Francis and Arthur wasn't painful enough. Thankfully, she never lived with both of them in under one roof, and she could cuss, drink, and smoke to her heart's content, but when Francis came over to Arthur's, or vice versa, Fae knew to make herself scarce. The last time she had caught them jumping each other, she couldn't enter the kitchen for weeks afterwards.

She glanced back at the main building, lost in her thoughts as they strayed to the grey container in the room. Truth be told, she was scared to open it- It had Arthur's hand writing on the outside, but really? Did she want to risk food poisoning, or lie to Arthur and say she had eaten his food? Fae shuddered, praying silently that Francis wasn't letting that crazy Brit kill himself with his own food.

There was movement on the ground below, snapping Fae back to reality as she shoved her knife back into her boot. Andy was climbing up again, her face determined as she gained up the pole easily. Fae made a mental note to check if she could only use her powers on herself, or if she could help propel others too.

Andy reached the top, claws bared, but instead of attacking directly as before, she started to circle Fae. Immediately Fae responded, moving slowly in the opposite direction, eyeing Andy wearily. Something was up, but she couldn't-

There was a sudden stab in her back, and Fae started, eyes wide as she felt the arrow hit her back, and she grinned slightly as Andy attacked a split second later, causing Fae to take a step back. "Deciding to work together, aren't we?" She mused, reaching into her boots and pulling out the two knives. If they were going to play like that, then so was she.

Andy was swinging wildly and fast, barely allowing Fae time to react to the blows. Fae felt herself being forced backwards slowly, and she grimaced as she neared the edge. Heights had never really been her thing.

Fae felt more arrows imbed into her back, and finally Andy dealt a jarring blow that caused one of Fae's knives to fly out of her hand and Fae took an immediate step backwards in response.

Except there was nothing underneath her foot.

Fae fell to earth, landing with a crash against the hard earth with a cough of blood. She winced slightly as she sat up, feeling the holes the psychic arrows had left after they disappeared. Only one hit one of her vital organs, barely scraping the side of her lung, causing her to cough up more blood.

Nevertheless, she stood up and walked over to the three girls, who were all congratulating one another. She gave them a round of applause. "Didn't think you'd get me down so quick." She said, scooping up her knife from where it had been thrown. "Congrats."

Andy looked at the ground, embarrassed, and Tina screamed. "You… You…"

Fae looked down at her torso, noticing the spot of blood slowly spreading. "Yeah. I'll be fine." She motioned to the other girls. "Want to watch the others?"

Chloe nodded, a worried expression on her face, but the girls still followed Fae to the other side of the arena, looking at her curiously. Fae sat down on the ground, pressing her back against a walk, hissing slightly as she pressed her back against it. The others sat next to her, eyeing her slightly.

They watched the other pairs of girls for a couple minutes, then Chloe spoke up. "Are you sure you're fine?"

Fae nodded. "Nothing an aspirin and a good bandaging won't fix." She said, eyes never leaving the other groups.

Chloe bit her lip, then turned to the other girls. "Why did you split up the twins? They'd be done by now if you hadn't."

Fae snorted. "The twins never learned to differentiate themselves from each other. They both believe they make a whole, but really, it just makes them weaker than they really are."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

Fae gestured to the girls. " I didn't not talk for a couple weeks to just pretend to read. I was getting a feel for all of you, learning your strengths and weaknesses. I already knew all about you physically, but mentally? Nope." She gestured to the twins. "Melody is extremely feminine, painting her nails and perfecting her make-up, even when it wasn't totally necessary, but Nikki is less… shallow, for lack of a better word. They grew up together, attached at the hip. When Nikki got into a much more prestigious high school, she ended up going to her sister's high school, even though it wasn't as intellectually stimulating. They had the same friends, same extra-curriculars in high school. They even went to the same college, a state college, even though Nikki got accepted at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, with full ride scholarships to all." She glanced at the other girls. "You know how difficult it is to get into those colleges, AND get full rides?" Fae shook her head. "But I could understood them the second I read their files. Nikki and Melody are both engineers."

Chloe snorted. "How could you tell them apart? They're identical, in every way."

Fae smiled. "That's what they want you to think. Nikki and Melody may have both been earning their engineering degrees, but Melody is more into civil engineering, creating and designing pieces of art. Nikki, on the other hand, is studying to be the mechanical engineer, and more into the technicality of a machine."

Chloe frowned. "So these tests… They were?"

"To get the girls to work without relying on the help of the other." Fae put simply.

Tina, who had fallen silent because of the blood, finally spoke up. "How much do you know about all of us?"

Fae glanced at her briefly, then turned back to the other girls. "More than you would probably want me to know." She mused, reaching up and playing with a strand of her hair. "For instance- Eliza. She was the troublemaker at her school, nearly expelled twice, suspended 8 times for her antics, and given detention countless times. After high school, she went on to sell narcotics and eventually got pregnant five times, and got an abortion each time. She acts tough most of the time, but because she didn't understand what she was getting into, she therefore doesn't understand her powers."

Chloe frowned. "I thought she made objects heavier and lighter."

Fae shook her head. "She controls gravity. Which is slightly dangerous, if remained to run wild as she's been doing." She frowned. "Even after this is all done, she'll probably be kept in a special ward to make sure she doesn't run wild and create mass chaos."

Tina snorted. "How bad can controlling gravity be? Make things heavier and lighter all the time? Big whoop-de-doo."

Fae laughed. "Gravity is a natural phenomenon, I'll say that, but she has much more that she doesn't know about under her sleeve. She could cause the Earth to stop turning, cause the moon to move out of the gravitational pull, or strengthen the pull so the moon smashed into the planet. She could make the oceans stop moving, even cause the Earth to move closer or farther from the Sun, killing all life here."

Andy shuddered at the thought, suddenly wary of Eliza. Chloe winced herself, then pointed to the last girl. "How about Corinne?"

Fae shrugged. "Bookworm all her life. She learned to read at 2 years old, but didn't speak till she was 6. She questions everything, and graduated from Oxford at 16 with a degree in psychology, valedictorian in her class. She was working on her second Masters and a Doctorate in psychology when she was brought here. She's been trying to understand her own powers by understanding other people's brains. Her ability is pretty much as refined as it will get- she has complete access to the human brain, able to understand someone in a single touch. However, she can't control it."

"Why?" Chloe asked, curious. "She seems to have the best understanding of her powers, but no way to control it."

Fae shook her head. "She doesn't actually understand it. She's afraid of her gift- She worries that when she does, there will be no more mysteries, no more puzzles. From that fear, instead of containing it to the point it's crushed, she lets it run wild, untamable. If she did, she would probably be out of here in a few days and back in the real world, with a comfortable job psycho-analyzing targets and terrorists for the United States Government, under surveillance, but able to live her life how she wanted."

Fae frowned as she watched the girls. "I'll be back. I'll give them some pointers, and see if they can get anywhere with that." She said, standing up.

Andy, Chloe, and Tina watched her go. "How much do you think she knows about us?" Chloe asked, a look of thoughtfulness on her face.

"Too much." Andy said, grimacing.

Tina nodded her agreement, and Chloe sighed. "I thought exactly the same thing."

Tina shrugged. "She's our trainer, she's supposed to help us develop our powers somewhat."

Chloe nodded. "If I only have to learn a few more things, then I can't wait to go back home."

Tina nodded. "Same here. I miss my mum."

They all fell silent, each to their own thoughts, and Andy sighed. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to be just released and sent on her merry way.

Fae flopped back onto the ground, wincing as her back twinged. "That should help."

Andy looked back at the other groups. It was true, already Eliza and Nikki had stopped fighting, and Nikki was trying to break apart the tank carefully. The same went for Melody and Corinne, they were touching legs as they sped through the rebuild, telepathically sharing knowledge.

"WHY the FUCK is one of my tanks being dismantled?"

Andy, Chloe, and Tina all jumped at the voice of the new comer, whipping around. A blonde haired man stood behind them, his eyes fixed on Fae as he chewed a hamburger, a soda in his other hand. Andy found him cute in a way, his blue eyes sparkling angrily behind his glasses, a single golden strand of hair sticking up. He was dressed in an old brown leather bomber jacket, jeans, and boots, and, as Andy watched, he hurriedly finished off his burger, gulping down a large swig of soda, and then pulling another burger from his jacket. She winced slightly at the smell he had about him, it was a mix of sweat, gun powder, and McDonalds.

Fae didn't even glance around. "Take a chill pill Al. I'll have them rebuild it… Maybe."

The man snorted. "My ass you will."

Fae turned her head slowly to look at him, her teal eyes flashing dangerously. "By my ass, I will make you shut the fuck up or I WILL use all the hamburgers in your jacket to suffocate you, Alfred."

Alfred snorted, but the look on his face was of someone who was not going to push the subject. "I've been told to collect one of your girls. Eliza Hendleton?"

Fae's eyebrows furrowed. "Why do you want her?"

Alfred sighed, pulling out a clipboard. "Something about gravity and fabric of reality being destroyed. My boss told me all about it, but you know how I listen."

Fae snorted. "A fool speaks. Wise man listens."

Alfred growled. "You spend too much time with Artie. His old man mannerisms have rubbed off on you."

"Bitch."

"Whore."

"Slut!"

Alfred turned pink. "Am not!"

Fae chuckled, turning back to the other groups, which were almost done. "Really? How many people have you slept with in the past couple years? 1? No, more like almost everyone. Including Francis at one point."

"Oi! He had no right to tell you that! I was heartbroken bout Arthur and drunk!"

Fae laughed. "And yet you say I can't hold my booze. Speaking of which…"

"No Fae. You just had your trainees dismantle an antique."

"…. Fuck you."

"Go fuck yourself."

Andy watched the banter fly back and forth, and she chuckled slightly at the ridiculousness of their conversation. Instantly, Alfred's eyes fixed on her. "Who are these lovely ladies?" Alfred asked, smiling at the girls.

Chloe turned a bit pink at the statement, but Fae waved him off. "You won't get anywhere Al. I suggest you go find Ivan if you're looking for a quickie."

Alfred's glare was one of pure hatred as he shot daggers at the back of Fae's head. "Only you would say something like that. Isn't h knocking his boots against Sibyl's?"

Andy noticed the way Fae twitched when Alfred said Sibyl, and immediately recognized that this was not a subject to be brought up around Fae. Fae's head seemed to turn without her body as she glared at Alfred. "Oh, I will kill you the second I get out of her. Cyanide or something in your hamburger- something tasteless and kills you instantly so I don't have to look at your face."

Alfred smirked, knowing he had hit a nerve. "But that won't stop them~"

Fae twitched again, and she opened her mouth to retort just as the other groups walked up. "We're done!" Nikki stated happily, indicating the tank that was in pieces and the large bazooka that had been built.

Fae bit her lip from laughing at Alfred's face, Andy caught the snort that escaped nonetheless.

Alfred was glancing from the pile to the bazooka, unsure whether to be infuriated, or delighted about the gun. Fae inhaled sharply, standing up. "Well, Alfred, you had something to do?"

Alfred snapped out of his reverie. "Yeah. Yeah. I um…" He shook his head. "Eliza Hendleton? You're supposed to come with me."

Eliza shot a confused look to Fae, who shrugged apologetically. She followed after Alfred, who had started walking away, an unsure look on her face.

Fae called after them. "Take care of her you dolt, or I'll personally get Iggy to cast a spell so every time you taste a hamburger, it's like he made it!"

She chuckled darkly as Alfred shuddered violently before leaving through a door at the end.

Corinne waited till the door shut. "Where's she going?"

Fae shook her head. "Somewhere else. Probably testing." She sighed.

Nikki winced. "Will that happen to all of us, eventually?" She asked, taking her sister's hand.

Fae shook her head. "If you're lucky, no. But believe me when I say this is only the beginning."

Andy inwardly groaned. So much for optimism.


	3. Hard Work

Chapter 3

Andy collapsed on the couch next to Chloe, worn out from training that day. Tina had long since opted for a nap, her eyes closing before her head even hit the cushions of the other couch.

Andy sighed, closing her eyes. Out of the original 6 other girls that had lived in the quarters with Andy, over the past few weeks they had dwindled away slowly. Fae had been true in her estimates about the girls, no sooner had Corinne mastered controlling her powers, she had been whisked away to the real world to be reintegrated into society. Nikki had eventually been taken away, and Fae said she was working with other engineers to build some super powerful weapon robot, and then Fae began muttering something about Alfred and robots and saving the world and the super weapon being fueled by some random food item. Melody was taken to another place, helping design something else, something that Fae refused to talk about, saying that it was "merely a waste of time and stupidity."

Andy thought about Alfred. He was a nice dude, even for someone completely obsessed with hamburgers, and Andy actually liked him, but he and Fae butted heads too frequently for them to be… friendly. Fae herself agreed to this, but when anyone pried into why they were like this, Fae never gave them answers. But still, despite being unfriendly with Alfred, he came to visit everyday- most days merely watching and encouraging Chloe, Andy, and Tina, though there were the days he whisked away someone from the group, and everyone silently wondered who would be next.

But over the past few weeks, Andy had been slowly getting more used to her powers, and, rather than keeping them confined, she had developed them to a whole new level. Her 'augmentations' (as Fae called them) were unfortunately confined to only being able to help herself at this point, but she could use them in other ways, like help amplify her sense of sight, sound, touch and smell to that of a new level. Fae had laughed one day, calling her Catwoman when she noticed that Andy's pupils had turned to slits. Fae had recently been trying to get Andy to focus mostly on getting Chloe to climb the infamous 'paal', using her powers to amplify Chloe's muscles. It hadn't worked well thus far.

Chloe, on the other hand, was getting extremely adept at using her powers, able to create walls without any movements of her hands, and could create enough platforms to mimic stairs and reach the top of the pole. Fae was content with Chloe's progress, but still pushed her to make indestructible walls as thin as a piece of paper, and to see if she could move them after their creation. It was difficult some days to motivate Chloe- she would give up the second something was too difficult, and Fae had been forced to use drastic measures more than once to push her forward.

A crash to Andy's left, followed by an oomph told Andy that Fae had jumped onto the couch, promptly sitting on the sleeping form of Tina. She glanced over, not even shocked when Tina's eyelids barely flickered, signaling her tiredness. Tina's training was wearing her out, that much was obvious. Fae looked just as equally tired, and Andy smiled to herself, knowing fully why. Tina and Fae had spent the day fighting, Fae a good distance away as Tina screamed into her trusty, dusty microphone. Fae had been trying to get Tina to take head shots at cardboard 'victims', and when she had finally gotten comfortable with that, Fae had appeared with a white cat, demanding Tina to shoot at it.

Tina refused, yelling about animal rights, and Fae had counter-acted by pointing out that while it was a cat, how was it different than shooting Fae that first day? It was just smaller, and thus, more annoying. Andy didn't think so- it was rather well behaved, and just sat licking at a dish of milk Fae had set out. They argued for nearly an hour before Alfred came and recognized the cat, scooping it up protectively and yelling at Fae for endangering it, yet again. Fae had responded that the eagle hadn't gone for the bait, Tony refused to partake in anything that had to do with getting shot at, and the whale refused to the pool, to which Alfred turned red and dashed from the room.

Andy had absolutely no idea why Alfred had a whale in his pool, but all she knew was it liked some man named Toris, who's name turned Fae red as she chased after Alfred, screaming at him to shut the fuck up. She had caught the look the cat gave Fae over Alfred's shoulder, and she could've sworn that it stuck its tongue out at her. After he left, Fae half-heartedly decided it was time to go back to the room, she was done for the day, and thus they all were.

Whoever Alfred was, he definitely had some odd pets.

Fae sighed as she slid off the couch. "Well, tomorrow's the day."

Andy tilted her head to look at Fae. "What?"

Fae glanced over at her. "I'm going to give you one last test. Superiors ordered it done by Friday, and then its judgment day."

Andy didn't like the sound of that. "Judgment day?" Chloe asked, tiredness leaking into her voice.

Fae nodded, standing up. "I suggest you all follow Tina's suit and go to sleep soon. Tomorrow is a big day." She finished, and the look in her eyes made Andy shiver slightly. Fae's eyes were a bright teal, but over the past few weeks after her cigarettes ran out, they had lost their vibrancy, turning into a deeper green as time went on. She left the room, signaling the end of the conversation, and Andy sighed.

"Time to hit the sack?"

Chloe nodded her agreement, and together they heaved Tina to her room. Andy walked to her room, only to find Chloe following her. "What is it?" Andy asked, a curious look flashing across her face.

Chloe shrugged. "Wanted to talk a bit. Is that ok?"

Andy nodded, opening her door. The past few weeks had allowed Andy enough time to redecorate the room slightly, making it slightly more welcoming, but she still felt homesick.

They talked for a while, both musing over what sort of challenge awaited them the next day. Andy was rooting for they had to kill Fae, who them all up the wall in a sort of lovable way, but Chloe said it was probably something to do with why they were all kept in the same room for so long, even though they had all been adept at using their powers since day one. Eventually though, they both passed out from tiredness, collapsing on the bed.

A soft melody awoke Andy the next morning, and she rubbed her eyes wearily as the tune drifted through the hallway. She grumbled slightly as she stirred, and Chloe groaned in response, opening her eyes, but Andy silenced her with a finger pushed to her lips, trying to listen.

"_Kom met me kinderen en volg mijn weg  
>In de wereld van de duisternis en de magie<br>Met al mijn kracht  
>Ik zal u de weg wijzen<br>Om je dromen, verwachtingen en illusies ..."_

The voice sang softly, and Andy felt a wave of peace envelope her. It sounded like a lullaby, and she smiled, her mind wandering off to a better place. "My mom used to sing me lullabies when I cried at night... Haven't heard one in a while..." Andy muttered softly, then slapped a hand over her mouth, embaressed slightly she had let something like that slip.

Chloe merely smiled. "I did the same thing to my siblings." She got a faraway look in her red eyes. "I wonder how they're all doing..."

Andy patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Let's just hope that with you out of the picture, they weren't attacked or anything. From what Fae told us, these Trip Monsters sound pretty dangerous."

Chloe nodded, and the singing voice stopped. They both stretched as they left the room, walking slowly to the main room.

Fae was the only one up, sitting on the couch as she played with her hair, a cell phone pressed to her ear as her back faced the door. "Yes Claire. I miss you too." She paused. "I'll see you soon. Go to sleep. It's way past your bedtime." Andy could hear the smile and a certain level of tenderness in Fae's voice she had never heard before. "One more time, alright? Then go to sleep."

"_Kom met me kinderen en volg mijn weg  
>In de wereld van de duisternis en de magie<br>Met al mijn kracht  
>Ik zal u de weg wijzen<br>Om je dromen, verwachtingen en illusies ..."_ Fae sang softly, her voice low, but the lullaby was still melodious, causing both girls standing in the door way to feel the sense of peace wash over them again. Fae finished the song. "Yes Claire. I'll tell you the words one day when you're older. Night." She said, pulling the phone away from her ear and hitting the end button.

Chloe sighed, her eyes wide. "That was beautiful."

Fae jumped up, astonished and embaressed, having the look of someone who was just caught reading a porno instead of focusing on her studies. She flushed a mix of the color red and maroon, it reaching all the way to her ears. "How much did you hear?"

Chloe shook her head. "Just the song. Is it a lullaby from where you come from?" She asked politely, sitting down on the couch.

Fae shuffled awkwardly. "It isn't, but Claire likes the song, so I changed it a bit."

Andy padded after Chloe, sitting next to her. "Who's Claire? Your sister?"

Fae looked at the ground, unable to look elsewhere. "My neice, to be exact, but yeah. She's almost like my sister." She smiled slightly. "The little, adorable younger sister I wished my real one was like..." She paused, glancing at the phone in her hand. "Hey... I know that I'm not supposed to do this, but if you make it quick, you can call someone if you want." She glanced up at the ceiling. "You've got to make your call under 2 minutes. This room only has service for another 5 minutes."

The look on Chloe's face was indescribable as she nodded, and Fae smiled as she handed the phone to Andy. Andy looked at it, then handed it over to Chloe. "You talk to your family for that time. I'll be fine."

Chloe looked like she was going to cry as she hugged Andy tightly, taking the phone and walking to the other side of the room. "You can't tell them what you're doing here though." Fae called after her. "Top secret and what not, and public outrage that would somehow get pinned on me." She grumbled, sitting back down on the couch.

Andy glanced back over at Fae, smiling slightly. "You're not the big old tough bird you like everyone to think, are you?" She said, watching Fae.

Fae's blush had slowly been receeding, but it appeared on her face again. "Shut up." She said, hanging her head. "All I need is Al to hear that."

Andy tilted her head slightly. "Why? It's not so bad to have everyone think you have a soft side."

Fae glanced at the brown/red headed girl, sighing. "In my line of work, it is. Slightest weakness? Exploited until the day you die." She stood up suddenly, her elbow made a 45 degree angle, fist clenched as it pointed to the ceiling, and she set a leg on the table in front of her. "Thankfully, everyone has a weakness for Claire. Claire and her... adorableness." She shrugged, turning back to Andy. "Besides. No one really know me. It would be... awkward, to say the least."

Andy snorted. "Seems like a lonely life."

Fae collapsed onto the couch with a sigh, falling so deeply into the cushions, Andy worried she might get sucked in. "It can be." She turned her head. "But when you have a few close friends who will never leave you, makes it all better."

Andy fell silent, and she glanced back at Chloe, who was smiling into the phone, laughing as she talked to one of her siblings. She wondered silently about what Chloe and Tina thought of her, even what Fae thought of her. She glanced back at the blonde, who was breathing slowly, looking very much like she had just fallen asleep, except for the random twitching her foot was doing. Andy bit her lip. Could she really be friends with people who she didn't even know?

Tina appeared in the doorway, yawning and stretching. "M-m-morning..." She yawned, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She looked over at the couch, a frown forming on her face. "Fae, if you're going to force me to kill Alfred's cat today, I swear-"

Fae opened an eye. "You got bigger problems _suiker_." Fae retorted, closing her eyes again.

When Tina glanced at Andy for an explantation, Andy sighed. "Test today of some sort."

Tina groaned. "I hate tests. I never can figure out what to study for them..." She muttered, stalking over to the food tube, getting herself some breakfast.

Chloe walked over, her face practically beaming. Andy smiled slightly back at her. "Good talk?"

Chloe nodded. "My brothers have gotten into all sorts of trouble, and Alicia has decided to join a sports team. Dad is still busy, but they said he's made more time for them since I disappeared, which is a bonus. They really needed him." She said, flopping onto the ground. "Max, the older brother, got his first crush, and Travis, the baby of our family, went to his first day of Kindergarten, and he said he loved it." She sighed longingly. "I just wish I had been there for all of it..."

Andy reached over and patted her knee. "It'll be ok. We'll see all our families soon enough."

Tina grunted from over by the tube. "The fuck is this?" She muttered, holding an envelope.

Instantly, Fae was on her feet, the envelope in her hands. "Could it be...?" She muttered, ripping it open in a completely undignified manner. She glanced down at the letter, instantly a frown on her face.

Chloe sat up, eyes curious. "What is it?"

Fae stared at it for an eternity. "I have no fucking idea." She finally said, holding out the letter. "Which language is it in?"

Chloe's eyebrow raised, and she silently took the letter. She glanced at it briefly. "Um... It looks like Italian, but I can't tell."

"Who's name is at the bottom?" Fae asked, walking around Chloe's shoulder to peer at it.

"Um... Someone named... Francis?"

Fae brightened. "It's French then!" She said, grabbing the letter back and flopping on the couch.

Tina snorted. "Can't you tell one language from another?"

Fae's eyes flitted away from the paper to stare at Tina. "It all blends together at some point. I know nearly 700 languages and can read them, and another 200 or so I can't read."

Chloe's mouth dropped open. "H-h-how many?"

Tina's eyes widened. "That's a lot..."

Fae snorted. "There are over 6,500 languages in the world, and roughly 2000 of them still used frequently. I still have a ways to go."

"And how old are you?"

Fae paused, counting on her fingers silently. "Um... I'm going to say about 16 or 17. I stopped counting after a while."

Andy let out a wolf whistle. "Impressive."

Chloe suddenly got a very angry, motherly look on her face as she stood up. "And HOW" she said, the anger leaking through her voice as she stood with her hands akimbo, "are you getting cigarettes and alcohol?"

Fae looked up. "Fake IDs." She muttered, returning to the letter.

Chloe looked ready to explode, and Andy couldn't help but laugh. Three pairs of eyes fell on her as she started chortling, and Chloe pursed her lips. "And WHAT is so funny?"

"You... You look like a mother duck who just had an egg squished!" Andy roared, falling off the couch and rolling on the floor.

Fae chuckled herself. "You kind of do." She said, reading the letter further.

Chloe was beside herself as even Tina started laughing, falling on the ground and rolling around with Andy. Finally, Chloe cracked a smile. "Fine." She glared at Fae. "But we are not done with this conversation missy."

Fae didn't even look up, eyes still on the paper. "That's right... You're 20, aren't you?"

Chloe sighed, flopping onto the couch. "What's the letter say."

Fae sighed herself as she finished it. "Well, it's my friend Francis, so it's mostly about some fine ass he tapped last week, which disturbed me, since it was with another friend of mine." She shuddered slightly. "French gays and their love of the fine British ass and whatnot."

Andy sat up, an affronted look on her face. "Hey! You have a problem with gays?"

Fae blinked. "What?"

Andy glared at Fae viciously. "I said, do you have a problem with gays? Because I, for one, am deeply annoyed with people who are inconsiderate of other people and their beliefs!"

Fae stared at Andy, who swore she could see the cogs in Fae's brain working furiously as she tried to figure what had just happened. She could see it click suddenly, and Fae's eyes widened. "No! You misunderstood me! I just meant it as a saying!" She started waving her hands in front of her, a shocked look on her face. "My friend, he's gay, and he's French, and he was always chasing after my friend Arthur like the whore he is. Arthur swore that he would only ever sleep with Francis was after drinking with my brothers and me, and he was so smashed he-" She cut herself off, seeing that she was making a bigger hole to let herself fall into by the look on Andy's face. "I have nothing agianst the gay community. They're lovely people. I always supported them getting married and whatnot. Love is a hard thing to find, it shouldn't be wasted. And on top of that, all my brothers are gay..." She trailed off with a cough, like there was an ending to the sentence that normal people shouldn't hear. "I myself am asexual. Which means I have no real preference to either. Sorry if I upset you." Fae finished, going back to the letter.

Chloe coughed, rubbing the bridge of her nose gently. "Alright... Anything else in the letter?"

Fae nodded. "A friend's bird apparently misses me, but his owner says he's too awesome to miss me, even though he claims there's nothing wrong with missing our drinking contests. There's also something about-" She gasped, her eyes lighting up. "Yes!" She hissed, grinning slightly. "Sibyl had a fight with her douche husband and has been off the grid! Which means I know exactly where she is!" She crowed, glee on her face.

Andy's eyebrow raised. "How's that a good thing?"

Fae snorted. "Douche husband. Further explantaion? Not needed." She nodded, suddenly satisfied. "Oh. And it looks like they're all here to see how well I trained you."

Fae seemed to instantly pale, and she reread the last part. "Shit. They all came to evaluate you."

Andy felt her blood freeze, and Chloe's eyes widened. "What?"

Fae gaped at the letter like it was a lie. "Th-they're all here. And taking bets on if you'll succeed or not." She whispered, eyes wide and panicky.

Tina bit her lip. "What exactly are we doing today?"

Fae gulped. "Exactly what I trained you for. When you enter the arena today, you're going to face a vile creature... Brought to us from Russia, with love." She winced. "Those ones are always the worst."

Andy felt her eyes widen. "Y-y-you mean a..."

Fae nodded. "A Trip Monster."

* * *

><p>Ooooooh plot thickening as I finally get to the whole point of this.<p>

I felt like Fae was turning into a hard-ass bitch, so I threw in a kind of little bit to make sure y'all don't hate her before the story even begins. But there is a reason Fae acts how she is... A very... violent... reason.

Comments and criticism appreciated! :D Good night y'all! I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAFP


	4. Prepare for Battle

Cheerio and tater-tot my good fellow.

To anyone who got the whole slew of refrences in the last chapter, congrats. I felt the need to add some pairings and what not, as well as a Nekotalia refrence. -thumbs up- :D

But this won't be the last time Nekotalia pops up- oh no. I like those ridiculous furballs to have it end like that. :3

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Tina screamed bloody murder. "How... How could you?" She yelled, running at Fae angrily, fists balled. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Fae gulped, blinking slightly. "Well, I knew it was going to be a Trip Monster, but I didn't realize they were going to bring a specific one..." She shuddered. "And I have a feeling I know exactly which one it is too..."

She stood suddenly, snapping her fingers. A panel popped out of the wall, and Fae glared at it. "I'm going to be a moment... Your test is going to start in a few minutes... You'll want to get prepared. If you want some weapons, just in case, they're there. But I would suggest using your normal powers. You know them the best, rather than a series of weapons you've never used."

She disappeared off to her room, a deadly serious look on her face, and Andy followed after her, stopping at her door. "Fae... Is something wrong?" She asked quietly, eyeing the blonde.

Fae nodded. "If it's the beast I think it is, then we might be fucked. It tore up the last group I trained pretty badly..." She said softly, opening her door and disappearing into it.

Andy entered her own room, shuddering slightly as she wondered what exactly had happened the last time Fae had trained a group. She quickly pulled on a new set of clothes, a pair of worn jeans and a grey t-shirt before pulling on a grey hoodie on top and walking back.

Chloe was staring at the weapons, biting her lip as her hand ghosted over them, as if she was unsure which one to take. Andy frowned. "Why do you need a weapon?" She asked, walking over to Chloe. "You can protect yourself easily enough, why the need for a weapon?" She asked, carefully picking up a knife.

Chloe sighed. "I don't want to feel completely useless... If it attacks me, I want to at least fight back, not make easy pickings."

Andy set the knife down again, pursing her lips. Finally, after a long moment, she picked up another knife. The blade was 6 inches long, a decent length, the blade a beautiful silver with a black handle. Andy inspected the handle, eyeing the rose carved into the handle. The rose was complete with a stem and leaves, the stem wrapping around the handle in an interesting pattern. Andy handed it gently to Chloe, nodding. "This one. It won't be much help long-range wise, but if its close combat, its better than nothing."

Chloe took it with a smile, nodding. "Thanks." She turned her head to look around, a frown appearing on her face. "Any idea what happened to Tina?"

Andy glanced around, finally finding the blonde girl in a corner, staring blankly at the wall. Chloe sighed as she walked over. "What's wrong?"

Tina shook her head. "I don't want to kill anything." She muttered, green eyes fixed angrily at the wall.

Chloe sighed. "Fae's been trying to drive it into your head that if you don't kill it, it'll kil you." She frowned. "Would you rather let it live and kill someone precious to you?" She asked softly, sitting next to Tina.

Tina sniffed slightly. "No." She shook her head. "But I don't want anything to feel pain..." She murmured softly, rubbing the back of one of her arms. Andy glanced at it, noticing a long scar that ran down the length.

"Then go for the head shot. Right between the eyes. It will pierce the brain, and kill it before it even knows what happened." Fae's voice said from across the room, and all three girls turned around.

Fae looked like she was going to war, her normal black tank the only part left from her usual attire, a pair of gloves on her hands. A pair of bandoliers stretched across her chest, each holding 6 knives in it, and on the back what appeared to be two twin swords. She hand kicked off her traditional jeans in favor of a pair of tan cargo pants, and Andy couldn't help but wonder how loaded she was when it came to wapondry. The bottoms of the cargo pants were tucked into a pair of combat boots, the top part of 4 more knives peeking through. Her teal eyes were hidden by a pair of dark sunglasses, and a black hat hid her blonde hair as she walked to them. Andy frowned slightly. Maybe it was just the light and the change of clothes, but Fae was looking eerily pale for some reason.

But no matter what, Fae was still Fae, and she walked over to Tina. "I know you don't like blood, but it won't hurt you Tina." She gently set a hand on Tina's shoulder. "I'll be there with you guys, getting judged as well." She smiled. "If you want, I'll tell you a fear of mine." She offered quietly.

Tina glanced at her. "You don't seem like you're afraid of anything."

Fae chuckled slightly. "I fear I won't be able to protect the people around me." She gently took Tina's hand, pulling her to her feet. "But if you want to feel better about killing it, you should know Trip Monster don't bleed." She shivered slightly. "They pus and dissolve within a couple minutes. You have to be careful of it though. I've seen it eat through a man's arm in 5 seconds, it's such a powerful acid." Fae glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'll be leading the team today, but it won't always be like that. You're going to need to depend on one another from now on. I'll give you a minute to gather yourselves together, but you'll need to get out there quick. The beast gets let out at exactly 10:30, which is another 5 minutes or so. I'll-" Fae was cut off by coughing, and she quickly covered her mouth as she turned away, but Andy saw a brief flash of red against Fae's skin before the latter turned completely away. "I'll be down in the arena." She muttered through her hand, jumping into the hole in the ground that had stayed open since that first day.

Andy looked at the other two. "You ready guys?" She asked softly, her eyes worriedly looking at the other two.

Chloe nodded, standing up and taking Tina's hand in her own and holding out for Andy's. When Andy slipped her hand into Chloe's, the albino smiled. "No matter what happens, we stick together, just like Fae said. No man left behind."

Tina smiled slightly. "But we're all girls."

Chloe laughed, and Andy couldn't help but laugh with her. Chloe nodded. "Friends forever." She paused, then amended herself. "Best friends forever. I can't say that all my friends back home could have gone through all the shit we put up with and we would all still be friends."

Andy glanced at the ground. "I only had Kaylin back at home..."

Tina smiled brightly. "Well, now you have two more best friends."

Chloe grinned, squeezing both of their hands. "Let's go." She said, and together they all ran to the hole, jumping into it and onto their adventure.

* * *

><p>So... very... short. :( Sorry y'all.<p>

But I felt like this chapter needed to end on a happier, more optimistic note.

Except for the whole Fae coughing up blood thing.

Anyways, I'll type up the next chapter ASAFP, and post it.

NIGHT!


	5. Trouble in the Arena

Haha! It's finally up! So... This has been typed up for the most part... I just haven't posted it. ^^'

But there was an excellent reason for not posting! Serious editing needed to be done, as I was um... not in the proper state of mind when I did, hahaha... -falls flat on face- life fail. I swear.

OH! BTW- Cookies for you if you can guess what exactly Fae was saying in the previous chapter when she was talking about her 'brothers'. I'll do anything you want. Just take a stab in the dark. To be exact, she said "And on top of that, all my brothers are gay..." There was a continuation that thought in Fae's head. Basically, guess what she say, and I'll do anything you ask. Anything. ANYTHING. If it's something you have to see, I'll video-tape it and post it on youtube. (Hint- the continuation only contains 3 more words)

The countries are introduced in this wondrous chapter! I, unfortunately, don't own any of them, or Hetalia, so credit is due where credit is earned and whatnot. The idea isn't even mine... So that credit goes to purplechalkwitch.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

Fae was still coughing as the girls rolled into the arena, but Andy was silently glad her coughs were bloodless. She doubted Tina could stand the sight of blood before they had even started.

Fae glanced at them, a hand reaching into a pocket and pulling out one last cig, and she lit it. Andy noticed as she subtly placed her hand over her mouth, and she wondered what was going on with the blonde. Fae inclined her head to another area of the field. "Whatever happens guys, ignore whatever those kids over there say." She muttered, shooting a glance across the field.

Andy looked where Fae had indicated, noting new addition to the field. It was a platform attached to one of the walls that surrounded the open area, a sheet of glass protecting them what was going to happen in the arena. Andy couldn't help but blush slightly as an intercom came on, and a slightly girly voice came on the line.

"Ve~ Fae! Look over here! Ludwig! Make Fae pay attention to me, ve~!"

There was some scuffling, and Fae winced as someone screamed, "Potato bastard! Stay away from my brother!"

"Isn't it enough that I love you Romano~"

"S-shut up!"

"Aww... Romano! You look like a little tomato!"

"Tomatoes originated from me! Everything originates from me!"

Fae groaned, and, as the girls watched her, she sunk to the ground, hands over her face. "It's just like the meetings..." She whispered, and Andy chuckled as Fae's eye started twitching.

Tina sighed as she stretched, absent-mindedly sticking out her chest a little. "It can't be that bad, can it?" She murmured, bending over to touch her toes.

Fae instantly was glaring at the platform, and Andy couldn't help but blush as Fae muttered, "Horn dogs..."

The second the big busted teen had bent down, her short skirt had ridden up just enough to expose her ass, which was thankfully covered with her leggings. When she had straightened up, her chest had bounced every so slightly, and there had instantly been a series of wolf-whistles and inappropriate coments, most in a either a thick German accent or a thick French accent.

Fae had fallen on her face, her body visibly twitching, and she growled. "Those... bastards..." She groaned, balling up her fist and banging it against the ground.

Tina glanced at the platform, a frown flashing across her face. "Fae... What do they mean, they'd like to tap that?"

Fae looked at Tina incredulously, then nodded. "That's right... You're only 14. These things shouldn't be on your mind just yet."

Tina looked at her other friends, curiousity on her face, and found that Chloe and Andy were staring off elsewhere, purposely avoiding Tina's green eyes. Tina sighed. "I'll just guess I have to ask them later then." She seemed to brighten. "Hopefully there will be cake!"

Fae stared at Tina with the look of someone who was trying to decide whether to slap Tina, or laugh at her antics. There was a loud clang, and Fae stiffened, standing up. She coughed harshly, and there was no mistaking the blood that came out of her mouth this time. She spat it out, wincing slightly at the small amount of red on the ground. Thankfully, Tina was staring at a giant hole in the wall, her eyes fixed on it rather than Fae's blood.

There was a faint scuttling to be heard, and Fae's expression turned serious, void of all emotion. "Chloe. Tina. Go and find a place you can attack the creature without being in the way. Try to keep it confined as much as possible, and shoot for the eyes." Her teal eyes flicked over to Andy. "Andy, you and I will be attacking it, keeping an eye out for weaknesses. We can't let it figure out where Chloe and Tina are, they'll be in the prime position, hopefully, to shoot it if need be."

Tina gulped. "Do we HAVE to kill it?"

Fae glanced over at Tina. "Yes. Don't worry. The second you see it, you'll understand why we have to kill it." She paused. "One last thing. Watch out for the spitballs, if you will."

Chloe nodded, taking Tina's hand and leading her away, and Fae breathed in some of her cigarette as she walked away. Andy frowned. "Is this a good idea?"

Fae nodded. "Best I've had."

Andy grumbled slightly. "Fae, you've fought this beast before? Why not tell us everything you know about? You know, so we can be prepared."

Fae grimaced. "Not that simple. You need to fight it at a disadvantage." She brought the cig to her lips again, frowning as she exhaled. "In the real world, you'll be against other monsters- tough things that will have the advantage. You'll have to be prepared for anything." She paused, glancing over towards Andy. "You ready?"

Andy frowned, arms crossed across her chest as she fumed silently. "Yeah. Why?"

Fae remained silent, and instantly, there was an roar as the Trip Monster burst from the hole in the wall.

Andy stumbled backwards, eyes wide in shock. Nothing that Fae had taught her about Trip Monsters could have prepared her for this. The thing was almost as long as 4 schoolbuses, in the form of a centipede. It was purple and green, with a metalic looking shene. She gulped as it roared, the noise sounding like the nails on a chalk board, high and annoyingly loud, and her eyes looked over the rest of the beast. The legs looked like the traditional centipede legs, the only difference was on the front the ends of the legs were sharp points, perfect spikes as they stabbed into the ground.

The Trip Monster reared up, seeming to want to explore its new surroundings, and Fae took the oppritunity to shake Andy. "Snap out of it!" She hissed, eyes flashing hurriedly from Andy to the monster. "And keep quiet. It has sharp hearing."

Andy nodded, and she turned her hands into claws, and Fae pulled out a knife. "I'm going to distract it, go check on the other two to make sure they're fine. Tell Tina to aim for the eyes when she can. Eyes first, and then we can worry about killing it."

Andy nodded again, signalling she understood, and Fae let out a piercing whistle as she ran towards the other side of the arena, away from the other girls. The centipede roared in anger, chasing after the sharp whistling, and Andy dashed to where she could see Chloe kneeling.

Upon arrival, Andy understood exactly why Chloe was kneeling. Tina had fallen over in a dead faint, and even Chloe was shaken as her eyes flashed to the Trip Monster. "It's... It's like it's out of a horrible nightmare..." Chloe whispered, her red eyes wide in fear.

Andy nodded, sighing. "We need Tina to attack the eyes first and blind it. Fae hopes it will up our chances, but who really knows."

Chloe nodded, and Tina groaned. "Damn, that thing is ugly." She muttered, opening her eyes.

Andy chuckled. "Then kill it so we don't have to look at it anymore."

Tina pulled a face, obviously not liking the idea, but she nodded. "I'm not going to kill it, but I'll do what Fae asked."

Andy nodded, waving as she dashed off. "I'm going to go help Fae. You two just stick to the sidelines for the most part."

Fae was busy attacking the sensitive underside of the centipede, earning roars of anger as the large beast tried to catch her, but she was faster than it. She spun her swords in her hands till they were a blur, and swiped at the legs.

The beast let out an unearthly scream of pain as it legs began to fall away, and it reared up, trying to smash its body into her. An arrow flew across the arena, hitting it square in the eye, and the beast thrashed in pain.

Fae grinned. Everything was going smoothly.

"BACK THE FUCK DOWN!" A voice called through a megaphone, and Fae felt her face fall.

Scratch that.

The beast froze, targeting in on the voice, and it moved like chain lightning. Tina got the other eye with an arrow, and she and Chloe took off, but the beast was after them. It couldn't exactly see them, but when Tina's megaphone smacked into the wall and the siren started going off, it didn't really need to. It shot giant globs of something green at the two girls running, its aim off as it missed them, but the balls sizzled evily as they burned the earth and walls away where it hit. Fae could see from where she was, chasing after the centipede, the girls were in trouble. 'The button is probably jammed.' She cursed inwardly, not liking how this was exactly playing out.

Andy took that oppritunity to jump from her vantage point, landing on top of the Trip Monster's head. The thing jerked up, astonished that something had come out of nowhere, and Andy stabbed downwards suddenly.

Fae felt like dancing for joy at the beast freezing on the spot, but as it began to fall, she noticed the two other psychics dashing for safety, megaphone still blaring.

Chloe put up a barrier in a last ditch effort to protect her and Tina, but something barreled into her leaving her winded as she slammed into the ground almost 20 feet, Tina flying just as far. The Trip Monster fell with a loud cry, and the light faded out of its blinded eyes.

Andy jumped off of the head, shaking her claws clean from the green slime that now coated them. She gotten her claws to lengthen to a foot so it could penetrate the monster's skull, she was just glad it had worked. She helped Chloe and Tina to their feet, grinning. "We did it Fae! Fae! Fae?"

Andy turned around and let out a gasp of horror. Fae waved at them, sighing. "Hey guys."

Andy had no idea how she could be so calm, trapped underneath the body of the dead Trip Monster. Only her torso was visible as she half-heartedly struggled, trying to shove herself out from under the body as she lay on her back. At the looks on the girls faces, Fae laughed. "Relax. It can't get much worse."

Almost as if in response to her words, the monster's body seemed to start contorting, the green slime sizzling as itspread itself slowly over the body. "Fuck. Never mind." Fae grimaced, her efforts to escape increasing. Andy rushed over, trying to force the body up, but it was like an ant trying to move a human foot. The other girls dashed over, trying to help, but Fae swatted them away. "I'm not going to have you three die from burns and what not." She grumbled. "I saved you for Pete's sake so we wouldn't have to deal with this shit."

The green slime was crawling closer, and Fae frowned. "Shit... I'm gonna have to do that..." She muttered, closing her eyes.

Andy's eyes widened. "Don't just give up and die! What about Sibyl? And Claire?"

Fae cracked an eye open. "Shush. Ruining my concentration here." She breathed out evenly, and after 5 breaths, she shoved her hands under the body of the centipede.

All three girls had eyes as wide as dinner plates as the centipede moved upwards a few inches, and as Fae gasped, the body beginning to descend, Chloe made a wall seperating the creature and Fae as the other two dragged their fearless leader out.

Her legs were twisted, looking absolutely useless, and Fae was pale as shivers ran through her body. Her teal eyes widened and she twisted her body at the last second, retching suddenly.

Chloe covered Tina's eyes as almost a pint of blood spilled onto the ground, and Fae began retching again. "Bad... Bad idea..." She groaned, shuddering suddenly as her stomach upheaved again.

Andy was pale. There was no way Fae was going to survive- the blood loss was almost too much. "Someone! Help!" She yelled, turning her head towards the tower where the voices had been coming from earlier.

There were less shadows in the window, and she silently hoped they were running for help. Fae grabbed Andy's shirt suddenly. "Tell... Tell Alfred..."

Andy's eyes turned back to Fae. "Yeah?"

"All... All his fault..." She muttered, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Andy sweatdropped. She had expected something more... gushy for her friend's last words, but this was Fae after all...

A door slammed open, and a short blonde man dashed across the arena, sliding to a stop as he looked down at Fae's pale body, his eyes wide. "Fae!" He yelled, falling to his knees next to the small girl.

Andy glanced up, barely noticing his expression as her eyes fixed onto his eyebrows. They were so... thick... She felt her throat dry, unable to speak out of pure shock.

Another man ran up, his blonde hair shining like some wonderous light in the sunlight, and he placed a hand on the eyebrow man's shoulder. "Angleterre, she'll be fine." He said, a French accent leaking into his English as he picked up Fae's limp form, not even wincing as Fae shuddered, retching again, all over his expensive looking suit.

Andy watched in astonishment as men and women of all sorts of ethnicities and sizes rushed in, some yelling in other languages in panic, others merely shaking their heads as they looked at the little blonde. All Andy could think about was how beautiful they all were- it was like a gathering of gods and goddesses.

Alfred emerged from the crowd, bolting for the three psychics that sat on the ground, frowning slightly. When he reached them, he frowned. "Hey, did Fae say anything to any of you before she passed out?"

Andy paused, still starstruck at the beauty, then nodded. "She said it was your fault..." Chloe put in, seeing that her friend wasn't speaking for a while. "It was all Alfred's fault."

Almost every eye fixed onto Alfred as Fae was carried off by the Frenchman, and the eyebrow man glared evily at him. "What did you do?"

Alfred shifted uneasily. "Um... I just..." He threw his hands into the air. "She used Hero as target practice! I just took some compensation! How should I know the economy was going to collapse!"

A man with spiky blonde hair and a strange hat on his head grabbed Alfred by the collar, shaking him. "Because of your stupid cat? My sister! _Amerika! Jij klootzak!_"(Trans- America! You bastard!)

There was an eruption of yelling as the group split into sections of sorts, all screaming and yelling at each other. The three girls just watched, and Andy suddenly felt unsure if these people were gods, or demons.

Finally, a loud voice rang out. "ENOUGH! This will solve nothing!" A blonde man with a German accent spoke up, glaring around. "America had no idea Fae's economy would collapse, but even so, he shouldn't so for a little thing." He looked at Alfred, who frowned. "All we can do now is hope her economy recovers swiftly, which WILL be aided by American funds. This will NOT turn into one of the UN meetings."

A much smaller nation coughed, and all eyes fixed on a small girl with blonde hair, tied back with a purple ribbon. "Yes Liehtenstein?" The German man asked, and the girl frowned.

"Um... Germany... What about those three? I don't think they knew about us being nations yet..."

Every set of eyes fixed on the immobile psychics, who were all staring wordlessly back at the nations. There was a long pause, and then everyone glanced at Alfred. Alfred gaped for a minute, and then swallowed. "I... um... I'll have Fae explain it to them... She was always better at that..."

Andy jumped upright, eyes flashing. "What do you mean, AMERICA?" She asked, hissing the last word. "Don't want to tell your own people that you've been kidnapping countless citizens?"

Alfred winced slightly, but he frowned. "Doesn't matter. Fae will explain it to you." He muttered, striding over and grabbing all three by the scruff of their shirts. "It would be best if you forgot about this for now."

The trio fought against Alfred's grip, but to no avail as he threw them back into the tube. It shot them into their room, landing them flat on their butts, and Andy whirled around, eager to jump back down and demand answers from Alfred.

But the tube, for the first time since she arrived, closed, and Andy banged on it angrily. "Give us answers dammit!" She yelled, but there were no answers, no answering voice from across the room, no small blonde to explain and hassle them.

The girls drifted off to their rooms, no one speaking to each other, and Andy flopped on her bed, mind turning in circles about the day, about what had happened. Her mind possitively spun in the chaos, and she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath.

A soft tune echoed through the hall, and Andy felt her body relax as the music gently played, and she drifted off, the peace in her mind reigning supreme.


	6. Thought You Were Dead

Sup y'all!

Life has been... Odd... To say the least. College came first this past week, so the chapter is short. REALLY short. It's kinda just a filler. XC But I wanted to get this up as a Tuesday present.

...Only now it's Wednesday. Ooops. I started typing this on Tuesday though!

Please rate and review! Hetalia characters don't belong to me, and Chloe, Tina, and Andy AND the plot line all belong to PurpleChalkWitch. I only own Fae. Poor spaztic Fae.

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

It was almost a week before anyone seemed to remember the trio of girls locked in their quarters. Their automated meals still came regularily, but the girls barely noticed. None of them talked much, all lost in their own thoughts. For Andy, it was a way of life- she had rarely spoken before being confined, but after not saying a word for 6 days straight, she could tell the other two were slowly getting fed up with her ignoring them.

It seemed like a miracle when the door opened, and Fae entered, hobbling along on crutches, coughing slightly. She threw herself against the wall, glaring at the door. "Close and Lock."

There was a beep, and the door slipped shut with a metallic click, and Fae breathed a sigh of relief, only to begin coughing again. "Damn economy..." She muttered, and there was a scream from across the room.

"Fae!" Andy watched as a green blur rushed across the room, slamming into the injured blonde. "I thought you were dead!"

Fae chuckled as she fought to regain her balance as Tina hugged her, and she patted her head. "Takes more than that to kill me."

Andy growled slightly under her breath. "So, what does it take to kill a country then?"

Time seemed to freeze, and Fae looked pained for a minute before she gently pushed Tina off of her. "I wanted to tell you in a better way, but Alfred can be such an idiot some days." She hobbled over slowly on her crutches, sitting on the sofa gingerly. "You should all count your lucky stars Alfred didn't gas you all to make you forget."

Chloe eyed Fae warily, red eyes calculating Fae interestedly. "What... What exactly are you?"

Fae frowned as she eyed her right leg with distaste, gently lifting it to sit on the couch. "I am a country. To be exact, I am the personification of the Faroe Islands, a self-governing dependency. I am currently under the rule of England, who is represented by a man with caterpillar eyebrows."

Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

Fae sighed as she rubbed her forearm, which was bandaged. "There are numerous countries around the world, this you should know from merely seeing a globe. Unknown to most of humanity, certain people are... selected to represent the countries they were born in. We are living and breathing beings, but on top of our own emotions, we feel the pain of our people when they are suffering, their anger and fear when their way of life is threatened. Our emotions, if they're strong enough, can even control the weather, and in times of need, we can call on the strength of our people so that we can fight other countries."

Tina frowned. "Is that what you did? When you lifted that Trip Monster?"

Fae nodded. "The only problem is, when you do that, you need to be careful that you don't use it all up, otherwise it has disasterous affects on the population. Because I did, there was little strength I could use to reheal myself, and most of the population on the Faroe Islands with broken bones has now gone up." She glared at her bandaged leg. "Like that, for instance. If I hadn't used that strength to lift the monster, I would have been able to walk properly a few days ago, and there would be a normal amount of broken legs." She snorted. "I'm weaker than all the other countries- Alfred promptly rubbed it in my face when I woke up that he could have easily hurled 5 Trip Monsters double that size and wouldn't have even thought about calling on the strength of his people. But that cause he's fucking America, great and powerful superpower who thinks he can keep me trapped in the infirmary."

Chloe's lips tightened, but Andy cut her off before she spoke. "What was with the coughing up blood thing?"

Fae grimaced, rubbing her throat gently as Tina paled suddenly. "Think of the economy as an immunity system for countries. It gets depleted, and we are more suseptible to catching colds and other sicknesses. Because Alfred took revenge for his stupid cat, I caught the flu, which promptly turned to a horrible case of pneumonia. Using up my strength just aggrivated it."

Chloe coughed, gaining their attention. "What do you mean, 'thinks he can keep you trapped in the infirmary'?"

Fae grinned at her in her charming way. "Well, Alfred was trying to bring in a fancy schmancy doc who was supposed to take blood samples and all this other stuff, but I snuck out. I know it was all just a ploy to get his secret agenda done." She suddenly turned serious. "But, put that aside for now. I'm here to tell you three that you have two options left." Fae held up a finger. "One, you all spend your life in this hell-hole, never seeing the sunlight again, confined to a much smaller room than what you currently live in. Or two, you swear an oath of silence under threat of death to never speak about the existence of country personifications. With the second option, after a designated length of time, you will be allowed to return home under surveillance, but you will also be like soldiers- ready to deploy and fly all over the world at a moment's notice to fight off Trip Monsters."

Chloe bit her lip. "What's so bad about revealing the existence of personifications?" Tina asked, looking at Fae curiously.

Fae sighed. "There have been instances in history, where a country's identity was discovered. We had been talking about revealing ourselves to the world, but when Japan was kidnapped..." Fae broke off, a sad look in her eyes. "The man who was kidnapped represented Japan, and as a consequence, that horrible earthquake in 2011 occured. Natural disasters happen when things happen to the personifications, floods, tsunamis, things that can be written off as 'natural', even when there is no sign of it occuring. Would you think that a government would just let a bunch of kidnappers take a personification and let the country fall to ruin? If personifications became known, then their protection would be questioned at every turn. This way, we can continue on as normal people, out of the line of sight and out of harm's way."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "What about Japan's kidnap-"

"Killed. They died in during the 2011 earthquake. No one ever found their bodies, but it was their own fault for taking Japan." Fae said bluntly, and something in her eyes made Andy decide not to question the story.

Fae stood up as gracefully as she could, which was reminiscent of a pig squelching out of a mud puddle. "So, have you made your decision then?"

The girls looked at each other, then nodded solemnly. Chloe spoke for them. "We'll stay silent."

Fae let out a relieved sigh, smiling."Good." She gathered herself up awkwardly, then looked at the girls. "Look, I know you three may not exactly trust me, but I trust all of you. I heard from Alfred what he did- trust me, he has his reasons for everything. I know I'm not the person to sing his praises, but he's a big kid at heart that just wants to be a hero. I know this pains him most, he already sees it as yet another dark moment in his history. He didn't like the idea of finding psychics and trapping them here, but for the good of the nation, he consented to it. Just don't give him too much crap for it." She used her crutches to manuver to the door, then she paused. "There was something else... Something important..." She drummed her fingers on her lips, then snapped them. "Oh yeah! Alfred mentioned something yesterday, that once I get better, that we're going on a trip!"

Andy raised her eyebrows. "You're going on a trip?"

Fae nodded. "And you're all coming with me, 'cause we're going monster hunting. Rest up!" She said cheerfully. "Open!" The door opened with a click, and Fae disappeared into the hallway, leaving three girls bemused as to what had just happened.


End file.
